Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate

If you’ve ever been in a Trader Joe’s, you’ve probably found the candy overwhelming. You may also have found that they have a lot of house-branded products. Luckily they’re inexpensive enough for you to shrug and throw it in the cart and give it a whirl. I’ve had a few bad experiences, but most are pretty darn good.

I’ve resisted these lilac foiled bars for a long time. They looked a little dowdy to me, and I’m all about the hot new candies. They come in a three pack - each bar is a single portion, so it’s easy to stockpile them, but also to have an immediate fix.

The Dark Chocolate bar is smooth and shiny and smells a little smoky and sweet. It has a nice melt, but a smidge of grain/chalkiness. It’s not too sweet and has a slight dry bite to it.

Overall, it’s a good deal and the size of the bars (1.75 ounces) makes it easier to tuck them in your bag for later indulgence instead of a larger 3.5 ounce ones that you often see. Still, if I were looking for fully satisfying indulgence I’d still go for a Chocovic and I also enjoy the Trader Joe’s Organic Dark Chocolate with Pecans and Raisins.

Did you know that Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips are made by Ghiradelli? I buy them to eat out-of-hand, because they are THAT GOOD. Better than Nestle, and cheaper too, at $1.69 for a 12 oz. bag!

The TJ’s chocolate buyer usually does it right.
Try the Traveler’s Chocolate dark in the cool tins. They know what’s up!

Yes, Chocovic’s Guaranda (arriba bean) bars are really something…sometimes.
There seems to be a difference in harvest of these Ecuadorian beans. If they’re harvested at the right time they have a highly floral and spicy profile while still being considered a Forestero they seem to have it all. But when the harvest isn’t ASSS (Arriba Special Summer Select) the bars are much less charismatic though still very nice.
The Chocovic Ocumare bar might not have the same variations but perhaps someone else might have ideas on that.

Last time my friend and I went to trader joe’s we left with 14 pounds of chocolate. Granted, most of it was for use with a chocolate fountain and to melt down for candy making experiments. But still… 14 lbs! Their pound chocolate bars are great for fondue. Good quality and taste but still relatively inexpensive.

I recently bought some of the Trader Joe’s 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate imported from Belgium. I buy the dark chocolate for the flavenoid content (supposed to be good for the heart); however, I have learned that some producers lower/remove the flavenoids because they make it taste bitter. Does anyone have any information as to whether this brand falls into that category, or which brand(s) have the highest flavenoid content? -chuck

Candyology 101 - Episode 35 - Whatchamacallit
In the latest Candyology 101 podcast, Maria and I tackled a little-celebrated candy bar, the Whatchamacallit. We’re also trying out a new format, which is a little shorter, like a handful of fun size candy bars! (more)

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Please do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes.